Five Times Leia Said No-And One Time She Said Yes
by momentofbored
Summary: It's hard for some people to tell Han Solo no- but Leia's got it down to an art form :) Set between ANH and TESB.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone and thanks for reading. This is a series of one-shots set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Han and Leia (AKA my favorite couple of all time) feature prominently. They're going to be posted in chronological order and they are already on Hoth in all of them. I hope you'll enjoy it :)**

* * *

 **The First Time**

Leia looked up from her data pad as she suddenly realized that someone was standing over her. She felt the predictable flash of annoyance when she realized it was none other than Han Solo, and debated counting to ten before saying harshly, "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

He smiled teasingly and she made the mistake of letting herself really look at him as he did so. Despite herself she took in the way his eyes crinkled pleasantly when he smiled, and the way those eyes shone the same way the blue Alderan sky had during the summers-

As usual he saved her from the unacceptable train of her thoughts by opening his mouth. She had long felt that his mouth was his least attractive feature- at least when she wasn't thinking about kissing it-

 _That was only the one time, and you were drunk_ , she told herself harshly, not caring that she was lying and that she knew it.

"Nice to see you too, your worshipfulness," he said cheerfully but with that slightly mocking tone of voice that drove her insane, that made her want to throw something at him or maybe fire a blaster at him, just once. It could be set on stun of course, as she felt no need to kill one of the Alliance's most valuable assets- it would be good enough for her to maim him, just a little-

"What do you _want_ , Han?" she snapped, deliberately looking down at her data pad as though it wasn't even worth the effort to hear what he had to say, but she didn't see a thing that was written on it as she waited for his response. Reluctantly she acknowledged, just to herself, that a part of her longed for his responses, that she sometimes even tried to predict them so that she could plan what she could say back to really get under his skin-

"I want you to come outside with me," he said straightforwardly, and her eyes flashed up as his voice was full of uncharacteristic candor. She blinked, thrown off by his words and his tone, and decided it would be best to get the back on normal footing, to respond the way she'd been forcing herself to respond for months now.

"Is this your idea of a come on? Because if so, you might want to try someone without full use of her eyesight-"

She stopped as something that almost could have been hurt flashed across his face, but the look was replaced with a cocky smile so quickly she was sure she'd imagined it.

"Don't flatter yourself, Majesty. I have something else that I'd much rather do to you in mind."

Leia drew back as his eyes darkened, feeling uncertain and ashamed at the tendrils of desire that she couldn't deny stirred deep inside her at the words. "I have no idea what that's supposed to mean, and I have no intention of finding out. Now if you'll excuse me, some of us have actual work to be doing."

She turned from him, intending for that to be the end of it. And it probably would have been the end of it if it had been anyone but Han Solo.

Instead, without further discussion, Han unceremoniously scooped her up and literally threw her over his shoulder, completely unaffected as her data pad hit the floor with a concerning crunch and she began hitting him with all her strength.

"No! Put me down! Put me down THIS INSTANT!" Leia exclaimed loudly in disbelief as he completely ignored her, nonchalantly carrying her down the hall. When it became clear her blows and words were making no impact on him she began to scream for help, not caring how ridiculous she might sound, sure that someone would come to her aid.

"Help! Somebody! Don't let him take me!" she shouted as they passed by countless desks, but to her chagrin, while nearly everyone turned to gape at them, not a single person lifted a finger to help, and in fact most of them appeared to be either laughing or frantically attempting to stifle their laughter. A few even appeared to be following Han, intent on heading outside _with them-_

"Unbelievable" she muttered before spotting Mon Mothma coming out of her office, seeming concerned about the source of the screaming. "Mon! Thank goodness!" she cried. "This- this barbarian is _kidnapping_ me-"

"Hello, Mon," she heard Han chirp cheerfully, as though nothing out of the ordinary was occurring, his voice resonating deeply in her ear where it was pressed uncomfortably against his back. "Just taking the princess out for a little activity. Be back in a jiffy."

"Hard as this will be for you to believe since there are so many to choose from," Leia snorted in outrage, "That is probably _the biggest_ lie he's told since he decided to camp out here for the winter. I'm being _kidnapped_ , I tell you, forced against my will to go outside with him and participate in Force-knows what kind of depraved, idiotic, mercenary-"

"The words she's looking for are 'snowball fight'," Han informed Mon with the same maddeningly cheerful tone. "And I have to say, I certainly am glad that she came to get me so that I wouldn't miss out on the fun."

Leia gaped in disbelief both at his words and at the thought that the thing Han evidently most wanted to do to her was pelt her with snow, especially when she wasn't even wearing a coat, but her thoughts were distracted as, to her horror, Mon looked not angry or authoritative as she'd expected, especially since she'd always hated Han. Instead she just seemed torn and vaguely amused.

"Solo, if you were officially an Alliance member, I would have to insist as your direct superior that you unhand the princess," Mon said slowly, and Leia felt relief, quickly followed by fury as Mon allowed a small and nearly gleeful smile to cross her face. "But since you've never seen fit to sign the necessary paperwork to officially join us, I'm fairly sure that this falls outside my jurisdiction."

Leia's jaw dropped as Han resumed his march toward the door. "Outside your _jurisdiction?"_ she cried out disbelievingly. "You- you said it yourself! He isn't even an alliance member! A- an _intruder_ is KIDNAPPING _ME!_ One of the leaders of the Alliance! He has to be stopped! He has to be _punished_! He has to be-"

But Mon couldn't hear anything else as Han pushed open a door and carried her out into the snow.

* * *

Leia dragged herself inside, soaked, happy, feeling free for the first time in days, and mildly gratified that Han was just as wet as she was, though of course he would still have that maddening grin on his face-

"Tell the truth," he said, smiling at her roguishly even as he handed her a blanket he seemed to have made materialize from thin air. "You had fun."

She hesitated, bit down her smile. Lied. "No."

His own smile faded, just for a moment, before returning, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something hollow about it as he shrugged. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," he said lightly. "I've always thought you wouldn't know fun if it bit you in the-"

"Argh!" she cried, effectively cutting him off as she began to storm away from him. "You are the most maddening, the most-"

She stopped as he grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him, and the smile really was gone from his face now, leaving an intensity in his eyes that caused her to shiver from so much more than the cold before he said softly,

"One day you'll tell me yes."

For a terrifying, exhilarating moment she was sure he was going to kiss her, and to her own shock she found she wasn't bothered by the thought, not even a little bit. She stepped slightly closer to him, a breathless voice that she barely recognized as her own murmuring "Maybe I will- one day." His eyes darkened further and he placed a hand on her arm so gently that it was almost impossible for her to believe it was him as he angled his head downward-

"Hey, Leia!" Luke called, coming inside, every bit as soaked as she was, and she and Han simultaneously jumped back as though something had burned them.

She looked at Luke for a moment before turning back to Han and saying cuttingly, "But it's not likely."

She willfully ignored the hurt that flashed across his face, unable to believe that anything she could say would really hurt someone like him.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading :) Feedback is very much appreciated. I'll be updating weekly until all 6 parts are posted :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Second Time**

"Leia, how good of you to join us," Mon Motha said, and Leia felt the urge to flush as she looked around the crowded room. Instead of giving into her embarrassment, though, she stood straighter and came to gracefully slide into the seat beside Mon.

"It's been a busy few days," Leia said, not offering any further explanation, and for some reason she found herself meeting Han's eye. He offered her a smile that could almost have been sympathetic and she bit down a returning smile, choosing to look down at the table in front of her instead.

"For all of us," Mon retorted a bit sharply, then shook her head, her expression becoming almost sympathetic too. "As I was saying, it should be a basic mission. Solo will land, engage in negotiations with Jorahr Urno, his former-" Mon seemed to search hard for the right word "associate?" she finally ventured. Han grimaced slightly at the choice but didn't correct it, and Mon continued. "Solo is authorized to offer him up to 100,000 standard credits and/or basic weapons and armory for some or all of the medicines and medical supplies that we believe Urno recently acquired on a run to Champala."

Leia nodded, unconcerned with what did, for once, sound like a basic mission. As she looked around, however, she found that everyone in the room seemed to be staring at her with unusual intensity.

"That only leaves the matter of Solo's love interest," Mon said matter of factly. Leia wondered why on earth Han should need a love interest just to negotiate with an old friend, and found herself unable to stifle a smirk as she wondered who the unlucky lady would be.

"Leia?" Mon cut through her thoughts, and she blinked in confusion, not sure what had been said.

"What?" Leia questioned blankly, and then, on looking around the room, which continued to regard her with bizarre interest, she had a sinking realization. "Wait- _me?"_ She shook her head. "No. No, absolutely not. I'm not going on another mission with him, and certainly not one where he's going to parade me around like- like one of his sex slaves-"

"Hey!" Han cut in sharply, and if she didn't know better she'd almost have thought that he sounded offended. "I can assure you, all the women who I've ever paraded around have been absolutely willing-"

Leia ignored him though, desperate. "Surely- surely Rebekah can go! She's fully trained for undercover work, has vast experience with intergalactic travel, and could easily-"

Mon looked at her as if she might be going insane. "Leia, Rebekah is 50. It has to be realistic that this person would be in a serious relationship with Han."

Leia stared back at her, equally sure that Mon herself might be going insane. "And does anyone actually think it's realistic that _I_ would be in a relationship with Han? No one would ever believe it. He-he's a smuggler, a bandit, a -"

"Oh, and I would date you?" Hand cut her off sharply, and Leia felt annoyed that he had managed to cut her off before she could even add 'reprobate' to the list of adjectives she used to describe him. "I wouldn't be caught dead with such a spoiled, out of touch-"

"That's enough!" Mon snapped. "Leia, fortunately for you both, you're not going to be yourself. You're going to be posing as a young farmer from Tattoine who Solo seduced on a run there and who's been in his company ever since."

"Who he seduced?" Leia asked incredulously. "Han couldn't seduce a Bantha-"

"Hey!" Han interjected. "I'll have you know that-"

"Oh wait, don't tell me," she said, rolling her eyes. "You _have_ seduced a Bantha!"

"That's it," Han muttered darkly, standing up. "I'm not doing it. I wouldn't go on this mission with her if we were the last two people on earth and you tripled my pay."

"Well, I wouldn't go on this mission with him if- if it meant that the Empire would fall!" Leia declared boldly, also standing, feeling some of her bravado fade as Luke shook his head incredulously, making clear without words how preposterous he found the statement.

Leia met Han's gaze and the glare that they sent one another spoke volumes.

One hour later they were on the Falcon together, headed for their destination.

* * *

After they'd been on the ship for several hours Han came below deck, into the room where she'd deliberately gone to avoid him, and threw her a scrap of pink material.

"Put this on," he commanded. At her incredulous look he added belatedly, halfheartedly, "If you would, please, your Highnessness."

"No," she said, more out of habit than anything else, before looking at the fabric blankly. "What is this even supposed to be?" she inquired, turning it over in her hands, and he looked at her with something that might almost have been surprise.

"I know you haven't gotten out much lately," he said slowly, "But it's a dress."

She grimaced, holding the fabric out from her body as though it might bite her. "This is what you call a _dress?_ It wouldn't fit a five year old."

"It'll fit just fine," he said with confidence she didn't understand, and she scoffed.

"And how would you know? Have you worn a lot of dresses?" she inquired archly, rewarded when he smirked.

"No, but I've seen a lot of women get in and out of them. It'll fit. It'll probably even look good, but don't worry, I won't get any crazy ideas about complimenting you or anything like that."

She looked at him doubtfully, regarding the fabric with something almost like sorrow. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

He looked at her like she might be insane. "Jorahr has to believe I would actually be in a relationship with you. If you come out dressed like that, it's never going to fly. I have a reputation to maintain."

"Do you?" she inquired icily. "That's news to me."

He let out a groan of frustration and left her.

She put on the dress.

* * *

When he saw her his jaw dropped slightly, but true to his word he didn't say anything beyond "What happened to your braids, Highness?"

She caught his eye and smiled, tossing her unbound hair over her shoulder. "Someone told me you have a reputation to maintain."

To her surprise he smiled back.

* * *

As the ship pulled into the port, Han turned to Leia. "Now listen, when we get out there, let me do the talking for once. When he asks you questions- and he will ask you questions- lie."

She felt genuinely bewildered. "What on earth is he going to ask me about if you're going to do the negotiating?"

"You're here to vouch for me," Han said, looking slightly nervous for once. "Like I said, when he starts to ask you questions, lie."

"I don't even understand why I need to be here," she muttered after a moment. "I should have realized at the base that it doesn't make any sense. The resistance needs you to make a deal with this-" she hesitated just as Mon had while searching hard for the right word, then sighed, deciding it was hopeless, " _friend_ of yours. Why do you need a girlfriend to do that? Wasn't this pretty much your whole life before- well, before whatever you're doing now?"

"Jorahr is old-school Corellian," Han said after a moment. "He doesn't deal with anyone who doesn't have family to vouch for them. In place of family, we're hoping he'll accept you. So try to act like you might actually like me."

She frowned, confused. "I know family is important to the Corellians, but I've never heard of anything like this custom."

He frowned himself, then scoffed. "It's not a custom. No self respecting Corellian would base a trade off family connections."

She blinked at him, now hopelessly bewildered. "But you _just said_ that he was old-school Corellian!"

Han looked at her as though she might be hard of hearing. "So?"

She fought the urge to let a string of expletives fly, deciding to turn her thoughts to more practical matters. "So- if this man just wants a member of your family to vouch for you, why can't we just say I'm your sister?"

"That's a good idea," he said, shocking her, before shaking his head. "But I know this guy. He knows I don't have a sister."

She was undeterred. "Cousin, then."

Han shook his head again. "He knows I don't have any of those either. It's just me."

Even though both the words and his tone were matter of fact, she felt a momentary flash of unexpected pity before realizing that if anything, she should probably pity herself.

"It's just me too," she said quietly, and for once he didn't come out with some snappy retort, didn't say anything at all, just looked at her, and the understanding in his eyes almost made her want to cry. After a long moment, he shook his head, looking as serious as she'd ever seen him.

"No, Leia," he said softly, placing a gentle hand on her bare shoulder, and she wondered fleetingly if she'd ever heard him use her name before before he continued, "You're never just you."

She felt touched, somehow, and at a loss for words, and so she reacted how she always reacted, snapping, "That doesn't even make any sense." But even though her words were flippant, the look she gave him must not have been because he just smiled, not one of his sarcastic or sardonic smiles but a smaller one, a real one.

"Sure it does."

She was disappointed as he let his hand fall from her shoulder, gesturing what almost could have been gallantly toward the door, and she took his arm, giving him a real smile of her own even though she wasn't sure why as they exited the Falcon.

* * *

Leia tried to hide her amusement as Han and Jorahr greeted each other inside the smoky Cantina, acting more like boys than full grown men. Han introduced her, a warmth she'd rarely heard in his voice, and Jorahr hugged her as if they'd met before,

For a while, it looked like that might actually be all she needed to do- give one hug and occasionally try to look up at Han adoringly, nodding at something he had to say. After a time, though, Jorahr's attention fell to her and his smile faded.

"I have to admit, Han, I didn't know what to make of the rumors," he said, looking her up and down in a way that would have made her uncomfortable if it wasn't so straightforward. "I couldn't believe you were going to actually show up with a woman, but here you are. Next thing you'll be telling me that the rumors that you're a rebel fighter are true too."

Han grinned more easily than Leia thought she'd be able to in the same circumstances, leaning back into his seat and putting a casual arm around her. She expected to feel the urge to pull away from his touch but to her own surprise found herself leaning into it, toward him. "Nah, you know lost causes aren't for me," Han said cheerfully, making her regret having leaned toward him, but she forced herself to smile with him, even managing a small laugh.

Jorahr wasn't laughing though, just looking at them almost as if he were disappointed. For a crazy moment Leia contemplated telling the man the truth- it was well known that the majority of Corellians despised the Empire-

"A year ago I'd have said your falling in love was the lost cause," the man said, interrupting her thoughts, and just like that the moment was over. Han replied easily, with an affectionate look down at her that was so sincere she almost thought it was real,

"Turns out I was just waiting for the right woman."

Jorahr turned to Leia, eyes suddenly sharp.

"So, Shira," he said, "Tell me how long you've known this fellow."

She took a deep breath, decided that, despite Han's earlier words, lying was something better used as a last resort, and so she told the truth. "Almost a year and five months."

"And you've been… with him, that whole time?" Jorah asked, and Leia told the truth again, though perhaps not to the exact question the man thought he was asking.

"Yes, give or take a few days here and there. Han will go off on his little adventures."

To her surprise, Jorarh laughed. "That does sound like the Han I know." He leaned across the table, and despite Han's arm still around her she had the sense that he was truly speaking just to her as he asked, "And tell me, do you trust him?"

"Without reservation," she replied at once, realizing only after she said it that this too was the truth.

"With your life?" the man questioned.

"Of course," she replied, nodding."He's saved it more than once."

Jorahr looked confused and she briefly wondered if she shouldn't have said that. After all, what kind of life saving situations a supposed farm girl could possibly get herself into? After a moment, though, Jorahr laughed again. "Doubtless after he's been the one to put it in danger."

She forced a smile and let him believe it before telling the truth again. "Time with Han is never dull."

"And tell me, should I trust him?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. And I hope you will."

Jorahr hesitated too. "And you think you know him well enough, to make this determination? You've known him a year and a half. Many people who have known him longer would call me a fool for trusting Han Solo."

Her brow furrowed and despite herself she nodded, telling the truth again. "I can understand that. There was a time when I would have told you not to trust him too, but that was only when I first knew him. Now that I know him better, I can tell you that there's more to Han than meets the eye. He's- honorable, in his way. He'll keep his word-" she smirked. "At least about this."

Jorahr looked thoughtful. "Tell me about Tattoine," he said abruptly, and she felt brief confusion before launching into a detailed description of life there, thankful for once for Luke's endless droning on about the place and life on his own farm. She warmed up to the topic quickly, surprised at how much she really had learned from Luke, but within a few minutes Jorahr held up a hand and shook his head. "Yes, I know, I've been there," he said with a smile, and Leia felt more confusion before realizing that they might be on shakier footing with the man than she'd though, since if he'd been there, his only real motivation for asking the question could be to assure that she herself had been there- that she was in fact who they were claiming she was-

"So explain to me how a farm girl from Tattoine was tempted by a smuggler like Solo," the man cut through her thoughts, looking suddenly less suspicious, less serious, and far more interested.

Leia hesitated, unsure how to answer, then smiled, feeling suddenly gleeful and genuinely enjoying herself for the first time since entering the Cantina. "I'll admit, he seemed like a step down at first," she said, keeping her voice low, conspiratorial, before smiling merrily up at Han and leaning forward toward the other smuggler, raising her voice slightly. "But as a Corellian, you'll know what they say about a Corellian man in bed-"

She was gratified when she heard Han choke on his beer, before he demanded incredulously, seeming to forget about Jorahr, " _You_ know what they say about a Corellian man in bed?"

Lei looked up at him, making a conscious effort to keep her eyes as wide and innocent as possible as she drawled, "Of course I do, darling. After all, I've been sleeping with one for all these months- if nothing else I'd be able to talk about it in _wonderful detail_ from first hand experience-" she turned back to Jorahr, eagerly. "Do you know that, just last night, Han and I-"

"Well, no need to get into that now," Han snapped, to her shock seeming almost embarrassed.

Jorahr laughed, a real laugh this time. "Well, no need to ask what he sees in you," he said, still laughing. "Han always did like his women feisty- and beautiful."

For some reason Leia felt her own flash of embarrassment at the words and fought the urge to deny them.

"Hey!" she heard Han protest as if from far away. "That's true, but there's a lot more to… Shira than that. She's brave, and loyal, and persistent, and great with a blaster-"

Jorahr laughed again. "She'd have to be, to put up with you. Now about these medical supplies that you think I have-"

Leia let Han take over, trying hard to keep a vaguely pleasant and disinterested expression on her face as they negotiated, despite the fact that she knew just how desperately they needed the medical supplies for the base. After a while, though, she found it was even more difficult to ignore the shivers going through her as Han absently, gently played with her hair than it was to ignore her impulse to jump into the negotiations.

She was relieved when, what felt like hours later, Jorahr stood, offering his hand, and Han rose to shake it with a big grin. "You won't regret this, buddy," Han said convincingly, but Jorahr just laughed again.

"Han, I already do." He turned to Leia and she stood up as well. "Shira," he said with a nod before leaning toward her and grinning almost cheekily. "Someday we will have to finish our conversation about Corellian men, but I'm happy to see you're not disappointed."

She grinned, not so much at his words but at the uncomfortable look she could see on Han's face. "Not at all, Jorahr. In fact, the very first time Han took me to bed-'

"Look at the time," Han interrupted loudly, grabbing her hand and all but yanking her away as Jorahr laughed.

"You'll have to invite me to the wedding," he said cheerfully, and Leia forced a laugh.

"We haven't discussed marriage," she said bluntly.

"Only a matter of time," Jorahr said easily, confidently. "I never thought I'd say this, but Han's obviously met his match- and since you haven't been put off by his blustering you must know that deep down he's a very loyal-"

"Look at the time," Han said again, almost desperately this time, and Leia nearly took pity on him before deciding he didn't deserve it. Instead she grinned.

"I'm afraid you'll have to excuse us, Jorhar. It seems Han's eager to remind me of exactly what a Corellian man can do-"

She didn't get to finish as Han dragged her away.

* * *

"What?" she asked later on the ship.

"I'm trying to figure out if you intentionally told Jorahr that I'm good in bed," he finally admitted.

She arched an eyebrow, aware that she was having way too much fun with this. "And if I did?" she smirked. "Or is this your way of trying to tell me that what they say about the Corellians is just a myth and you aren't actually-"

"Oh, I am actually," he said with such swagger that she had to work hard to bite down a smile before he added with a suggestive grin, "I guess I just never knew you thought about me that way-"

"Don't flatter yourself," she said with an eye roll. "I certainly haven't ever thought of you-"

He arched an eyebrow. "Just Corellians in general, then?"

She rolled her eyes again, then turned away so he wouldn't see her smile as she snapped, "Oh please. Just because I've heard what a Corellian man can do doesn't mean-"

"That's another thing, he interrupted. "How did you hear that? I never thought you'd be the type to try to talk to a stranger about what you think we'd do in bed-"

"Again," she snapped, turning back to him, "I in no way think you and I would ever do anything in bed. But as for my talking to him about it or hearing about it to begin with- why wouldn't I?"

He hesitated. "I dunno. I guess I just always thought you'd be too… sophisticated, to try to talk to him about anything like that."

She glared at him, feeling vaguely insulted for reasons she couldn't understand. "Really, Han," she finally said testily. "I'm not a _prude._ "

He met her eyes, hesitated, and she was suddenly sure that she didn't want to know what he was going to say. The silence dragged on until she was sure he wouldn't say anything after all, but finally he nodded, as if making up his mind about something. "No," he said, something soft in his voice that she didn't recognize. "You're not that."

Leia tried to feel triumphant, to take his words as an indication that she'd won, but somehow she just felt breathless, tingling, and very much as though she'd lost as Han left her standing there in her little pink dress, heading back to the cockpit.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading, and a special thank you to the people who reviewed and followed the story after Chapter 1 :) I hope you liked this latest installment. I'm having a lot of fun with this one, it is fun to remember a Han and Leia that were fun and flirty :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Third Time**

Leia hung her head as General Dodonna informed the room that a ship full of Alliance fighters had been captured by the Empire on some remote planet that she'd barely known existed, and that 6 of her friends were being held in a makeshift prison until Vader could take them away once and for all.

She dully heard C3PO estimate their odds of a successful rescue mission at 12,268 to 1- far, far higher than the 100 to 1 odds that might actually lead to a rescue attempt.

She didn't even bother to listen to the halfhearted debate that ensued, knowing that the result was a foregone conclusion and her friends were as good as dead. In fact she didn't register anything at all until Han declared, loudly, "I'll go."

Leia's head snapped up, "Han, no," she said, and every person in the room whipped around to face her, which she attributed to the fact that she hadn't spoken during the meeting until now. "You heard 3PO- the odds are-"

"Pardon me, Princess, but in the event of Captain Solo trying to rescue the prisoners alone, the odds are in fact 19,857 to one," C3PO interjected.

"Never tell him the odds!" Luke moaned as Han squared his jaw.

"Lucky for me I won't be alone," Han said after a moment. "Chewie will be with me."

No one said anything, and it occurred to Leia that it was possible that the Alliance leaders were actually considering his insane proposal. Without pausing to consider any ramifications she stood, meeting Han's gaze.

"Han, no!" she exclaimed, her fists clenching. "I- I veto this idea!"

Mon looked at her in something resembling annoyance. "Leia, sit down. This is a democracy. You don't have veto powers. We'll put it to a vote-"

"No need," Han said determinedly. "Since I'm not officially a part of the Alliance, I'm not bound by the decisions of your little committee. I said I'm going and I'm going."

Leia stood again, ignoring Mon's disapproving look as she did so. "Han _no._ This is insanity. At least take someone with you-"

He arched a quizical eyebrow. "You volunteering?"

She hesitated, then nodded, squaring her shoulders. "Yes."

She was gratified as Han's jaw dropped, but he recovered quickly, shooting her one of his trademark grins before saying with surprising sincerity,"You know there's no one else I'd rather have at my back, but good luck passing that idea through the committee." He paused. "Of course, if you want to defect, Chewie and I might be open to taking on more crew. I'd have to discuss it with him, though-"

"Oh WILL you be serious?" Leia snapped.

He looked puzzled. "Who says I'm not serious?"

She didn't know what to do and so decided to state the obvious. "Han, this is crazy. You're going to get yourself killed-"

"Your faith in me is touching, your Royalness," he snapped, any hint of warmth gone from his voice. "It sure is nice to know that when you go on a rescue mission you have friends who believe in you-"

"I told you to be serious!" Leia snapped. "You think everything is a joke but it's not funny! This is impossible. Now sit down and help us think of another way to get them out of there."

"I like my way of getting them out of there," he said brashly.

"Well you're the only one," Leia retorted, not caring that she was beginning to shout. "Now SIT DOWN-"

"I don't think I will," he said matter of factly, and Leia watched in disbelief as, without another word, he turned and left the room.

There was a significant pause, and then Mon Mothma shrugged. "Well, that's that."

"That's that?" Leia demanded incredulously before insisting, "We must be able to stop him!" There was another pause before Leia offered, "Why don't we just threaten to cut his funding? I doubt he'll still be so eager to go after them if we make it clear he isn't going to get paid."

She expected some agreement, or at least some thoughtful dissent, but instead she was met only with an awkward silence that was finally broken by Luke. "That's not a bad idea," he said halfheartedly, "but I don't think it's likely to work in this situation."

Her brow furrowed and she sat down heavily. "Why wouldn't it work? Han has always made it clear his only motivation is money."

Luke looked around the room as if willing someone else to speak, but when no one did he squared his shoulders. "It's true that he's always said that," Luke offered carefully. "But it's an open secret that the Alliance hasn't been able to make any payments to Han in over a year."

Leia was glad she'd thought to sit down, because if she wasn't already sitting she was quite sure she would have fallen. After a moment, though, she decided she must not have understood Luke correctly, or that, in the alternative, he must be mistaken.

"But- we've only been on Hoth for two years." Leia said after a long pause. The awkward silence stretched on and finally she filled it. "You really expect me to believe that _Han Solo_ , _pirate,_ has been working for us _for free_ for over a year?"

At Luke's slightly panicked look General Dodonna cleared his throat. "Well, that characterization isn't entirely accurate. We do intend to pay Han eventually, of course. And he's receiving room, board, and a small stipend just like everyone else, even though he _still_ refuses to sign the paperwork that would make him part of the Alliance. By some measures you could even say we've treated him generously-"

Leia felt as though someone had punched her. "Why didn't anyone tell me this?"

General Dodonna hesitated. "We were afraid you might not take it well."

"Why wouldn't I _take it well?"_ Leia demanded, glaring at him before demanding,"Who else knows about this?"

"No one. Just us. And, of course, Han," Mon stepped in."And we should probably keep it that way- it seems important to him that certain people believe- something else."

"Certain people," Leia echoed dryly, not missing the older woman's meaning before shaking her head. "I can't understand it. Why would he want to go on this mission if we can't even pay him? Is he really that desperate to prove that he can beat impossible odds?

Again everyone was silent and Luke squared his shoulders again before venturing tentatively, "Leia, I know that you and Han don't always see eye to eye, but I think that he's doing it because he thinks it's the right thing to do."

She shook her head, unable to believe it but deciding it didn't matter anyway, at least not now. "Well, then, how do we stop him?"

"I don't think we can," Luke said after a long moment.

She jumped up again. "That isn't acceptable. Han is going to die."

"Maybe if you'd go try to talk to him it would help. He might listen to you," Luke offered tentatively.

Leia snorted. "Did you miss how he just stormed out of the meeting? There's absolutely no way that Han would listen to me."

But to her surprise no one was nodding in agreement with her. "I think," Mon ventured diplomatically, "that if you took the right approach, you might be surprised."

Leia sank into her chair. "Even if that's true it's probably too late," she said bleakly. "Han's left by now."

Leia had the uncomfortable feeling that everyone else in the room knew something she didn't as they exchanged a look, but no one spoke. In the end it was again Luke who ventured, "I think it's pretty likely that he's waiting."

Leia felt genuinely bewildered. "Waiting for what?"

No one answered, but Leia had the sudden feeling that she might know the answer anyway.

* * *

Leia rushed toward the hangar, relieved when, through the crowd, she could see Han tinkering with something on the outside of the Falcon. She slowed her walk as she drew closer to him, and despite her resolution to try to take a diplomatic approach, she felt the strong urge to scream, or maybe to do something dramatic, like finally give into the urge to pull out her blaster and shoot him. For a few moments she seriously contemplated the merits of the idea- surely Han wouldn't really insist on going forward with his mad plan if he were shot- but she reluctantly discarded it as she noted that they had an audience. She did a double take as she took in the scene- it actually appeared as if half the base had showed up to see Han off. As she approached they all fell quickly back, but no one actually left.

She looked up at him for several long moments once he noticed her, and she wasn't able to lie to herself. She understood the tension between them for what it was, even though she'd rather die than admit it to anyone, especially Han. She knew that if they were any other two people she'd fall forward into his arms and he'd kiss her, finally. That she'd ask him to stay, and he would stay.

"Captain," she said coolly instead, and he looked down at her warily.

"Princess," he replied after a pause, his own voice cold.

They continued to stare at one another for several long moments, and then, somehow, even though Leia was sure they hadn't moved any closer to one another- even though she couldn't remember either of them moving at all- he was holding her hands tightly. She felt taken aback at the intimacy of the gesture. His hands were rougher than she'd expected, and warmer- not, of course, that she'd ever spent any time thinking about his hands.

The silence stretched on until it was nearly unbearable, but finally he shot her something that resembled a smile. "Don't suppose you've decided to defect after all?"

She rolled her eyes but didn't remove her hands from his as she pitched her voice low, fully aware that some people were actively straining to hear them. " No, I haven't decided to defect. I came to talk to you," she hissed, wishing they were somewhere else so that she could just scream like she wanted to.

He arched a brow. "Oh, really? And what could a royal dignitary like you possibly have to say to-"

"Han, stop," she interrupted him, tightening her hold on his hands and desperately hoping he would listen as she spoke quietly, earnestly. "I came to tell you not to do this. I don't want you to go after them."

He hesitated, then smirked, which only served to make her want to pull out her blaster after all. "What would be the fun in that?"

She wondered if he might be out of his mind. "The fun in not dying, you mean?"

At her words his face becoming serious. "The fun in giving up."

She blinked, feeling suddenly uncertain about what to say- about how to deal with this new, somber Han. "It isn't giving up to admit something is impossible," she murmured, stepping closer to him, trying to ignore the way the spectators also leaned forward at the movement. She gripped his hands even more tightly. "Han, those fighters are gone. There's no point in your dying too."

His face softened, just a little, before he cocked his head, inquiring gently. "Who are you and what have you done with Leia? Those are your friends out there- your people."

She shook her head, feeling the fact that he hadn't been paid in months hit her like a physical blow. "They're your people too, Han," she said, putting all the sincerity that she could muster into her voice. "But they're gone."

He looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, and she wondered why he seemed to want her to think the worst of him, sometimes, but then he was speaking again, his own voice earnest. "Don't say that. The Leia I know-"

"Stop calling me that," she muttered, uncomfortable not at the fact that he was finally using her name, but at the downright tender way that he was saying it. He looked confused before his face shuttered, becoming angry.

"Excuse me, your Royalness," he snapped, all softness gone from his voice. "Far be it from me to presume to call you by your name. I should have realized that's a special honor reserved for people like Luke-"

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped back, yanking her hands away from his. "Anyone can call me Leia. Everyone _does_ call me Leia _._ I just- don't like it when _you_ do it."

Of course, that was a lie. The truth was that she did like it, far far too much.

"I understand," he snapped. "No problem. Well, if that's all, I have a job to do."

She shook her head incredulously, not caring that she was screaming after all as he began to stomp toward the Falcon and she stormed after him, wondering how it was possible that their conversation had gone so terribly wrong so quickly. "Far be it from me to stand in your way," she ranted. "You obviously have a death wish, and I'm not going to be sorry when you do end up dead- clearly it's what you've wanted all along!"

To her surprise Han turned to look at her with a sudden intensity, before walking back and reclaiming his hold on her hands. He leaned toward her and her breath caught before he stopped, his mouth close to her ear, clearly as aware as she was of everyone else trying to listen. "When I die you will be sorry," he said seriously, before pulling back slightly and shooting her one of his cocky grins- the ones she used to find maddening before she started to find them to be irresistible. "But don't worry," he said, tone still serious, almost earnest, despite the grin on his face and the fact that they'd been at one another's throats moments before. "I promise you that I don't intend to die for a very long time."

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to throw herself into his arms. Worse, she knew that if she did, he would let her, and she was finding it hard to remember why that was such a bad idea.

"I still can't stand you," she blurted immaturely, anticlimactically.

He shrugged and actually had the nerve to wink. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."

"I'm NOT your sweetheart!" she growled.

He smiled. "Keep telling yourself that, too."

She let out a disgusted cry and stormed away, trying her best to ignore the stares that followed her, the fact that she knew one of them was his.

* * *

When Han had been gone for two weeks and hadn't made contact in over 10 days, Leia seriously wondered if he might be dead, and then discarded the idea, certain that she would know if he had died. That didn't make the waiting any easier, though, and for reasons she didn't want to analyze she couldn't sleep, could barely eat as she waited to hear something- anything.

So it was the middle of the night and she was wandering the hallways aimlessly, pretending to patrol or do something else useful when she saw Luke sprinting toward her.

"Luke, what is it?" she asked, pulling out her blaster and preparing for the worst, but to her surprise a huge smile split his face.

"It's Han. He's on the com. He's-"

Leia dropped the blaster without waiting to hear the rest and began sprinting the way Luke had come through the caves.

* * *

By the time Leia got to the control room Luke had caught up with her, and they burst through the door together. Mon Mothma was there, half dressed and clearly having been dragged out of bed. Most importantly, though, Leia could hear Han talking, sounding more exhausted than she'd ever heard him, but very much alive.

"It took me three days to find them after that-" Han's voice droned wearily, but Luke interrupted, breathless.

"Han, it's Luke. I'm back"

"Buddy," Han said warmly, some of the exhaustion leaving his voice. "What was so important that you had to go get? I'm hoping it's-"

"Han," Leia interrupted, also breathless. She wanted to say something else, something witty, or encouraging, or at least biting, but found herself to be speechless.

"Hey, Princess, is that you?" Han questioned, sounding slightly disbelieving and more than a little eager.

Shocking no one more than herself, Leia found herself fighting back tears. "Han," she repeated, trying hard to keep the thickness from her voice as Luke, looking alarmed, threw a supportive arm around her. "It's me."

His voice changed. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding concerned. There was a long pause as Leia clung to Luke, wondering what was wrong with her, unable to answer. "Leia?" Han questioned, sounding even more concerned. "Luke, is she... crying?" Han asked, sounding disbelieving as she still didn't reply.

"No!" Leia snapped before Luke could speak, knowing she didn't sound convincing since she was in fact wiping a few stray tears from her cheek, but she couldn't find it in herself to care as she pushed away from Luke. "Of course I'm not crying. The connection is bad. Frankly, you sound pretty teary yourself."

There was another long pause. "If you were crying, I wouldn't say 'I told you so' until I got back," Han said finally, voice teasing, and just like that she was smiling.

"How generous of you," she quipped before questioning seriously, "Are _you_ alright? Where are you? What's going on?"

"Affirmative," he answered clearly. "I'm fine, and I have them. We're all okay. We should be back on base late tomorrow night."

She thought of several things she could say in return but then decided to just be honest. "I'm glad." She hesitated but decided to swallow her pride and continue. "I've been worried."

She felt immediately, intensely vulnerable, but thankfully Luke chimed in almost immediately, "We all have," as Mon herself nodded.

"What you did was reckless, Solo," Mon said, taking charge of the conversation. "And incredibly brave."

There was another long pause, and to Leia's surprise, when Han spoke again, he sounded almost abashed. "It was nothing, really." There was another, shorter pause, and then he continued, some of the brash confidence Leia loathed and loved back in his voice. "If anything, it was disappointing how easy it was. The Empire didn't even pursue us-"

Leia heard Chewie roar incredulously from Han's end of the line and she bit down a laugh as Han said quickly,

"Well, no one is pursuing us now, are they?" The line cut off briefly, and then Han came back on. "As I was saying," he continued, "The Empire _barely_ pursued us-"

"That'll be enough for now, Solo," Mon cut him off, not unkindly. "Just get yourself back here in one piece and we can debrief you then. It's good to hear you alive and well. Try to stay that way."

Leis suddenly felt unbelievably light headed and she laughed, not caring when both Luke and Mon looked at her as though they were concerned she might collapse. "Don't worry, Mon. Han's not going to die for a very long time."

At her words both Mon and Luke looked, if anything, more alarmed, but Han's voice, was warm and unconcerned when it came through the line. While it was far from the first time Leia felt his words like a caress, it was the first time that she allowed herself to embrace the feeling as he murmured, "That's right, Princess. Don't you forget it."

"How can I when I intend you hold you to it?" she questioned, but she was never sure if he'd heard her or not as the connection blinked off.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading and for sticking with the story :) I truly appreciate you taking the time! I am so grateful for reviews, favorites, and follows 3 It is so generous of anyone to take time out of their day to tell me how they enjoyed the story or how I could improve!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Fourth Time**

Leia was waiting for him when he got back, one day that felt like one year later. This time she was alone, without the crowd that had surrounded them at his departure, but she supposed that was what happened when you were willing to wait for someone well into the middle of the night.

Han didn't ask her if she was waiting for him, and so she didn't deny it. She didn't ask him about the money he wasn't going to be paid and so he didn't deny anything either. There was a moment, an odd hesitation, and then he opened his arms and she went into them quietly, naturally. As she clung to him it occurred to her that they could probably really get along, if only they didn't have to talk to one another.

Of course he chose then to open his mouth, pushing back slightly to give her a grin that could only be described as wicked.

"Miss me, sweetheart?" he quipped, their argument from before the mission forgotten or at least forgiven. Even though a part of her didn't want to she played her part, rolled her eyes, quipped back,

"In your dreams, flyboy," but there were no harsh edges to her words, none of the old bite. She could tell by the way that he looked at her, half surprised and half something that could almost be hopeful that he knew it, even if he didn't know why.

The next thing Leia knew, their arms went around one another's waists easily, as if they'd done this countless times before. She wondered what in the Force they were doing as they walked together toward the base entrance, but found she didn't have it in her to spoil the moment.

"We're happy you're back," she finally said. "There's even going to be a party tonight to celebrate your success-"

Her words cut off as he stopped walking, looking less than enthusiastic about the idea. As if from nowhere she was hit by the realization that Han Solo, the kind of person she'd always thought of as up for a good party- the reason she herself had suggested throwing the party- was tired. For a crazy moment she thought about being honest with him and telling him that she was exhausted too, about suggesting that they skip the party and play some sabacc instead. Of course, Han himself was sure to win, even though afterwards she'd pretend she had let him and he would let her pretend-

But then he smiled, a smile that she knew him well enough to realize was forced, and the moment passed as he nodded. "Great. That sounds great."

* * *

Leia supposed she shouldn't be surprised when Han was almost 2 hours late for his own party, or annoyed when he was immediately surrounded by throngs of people eager to hear about his adventures. It was clear that he was shaping up to be a natural leader- the Resistance members valued his opinions and stories, and in turn he seemed to go out of his way to make them feel important. After over an hour had passed and he showed no signs of coming over to her and Luke she decided that was for the best and tried to put him from her mind.

And so, it came out of nowhere when he thrust a hand out in front of her, adding, a few moments later, "Wanna dance,princess?"

Leia looked at his outstretched hand and then up into his eyes, feeling that something very very dangerous was happening.

"No, thank you," she said after a long moment, trying to ignore the way his face fell, and more importantly that, unbelievably, she was capable of making his face fall.

He turned away, she could only assume to go back to his adoring fans, and she sighed before taking another sip of her beer and wishing she were drunker. "Aw, Han, don't give up so easily!" Luke laughed from beside her, evidently much drunker than she was, and she glared at him as Han turned back.

"It's okay, kid, I can take no for an answer."

Luke suddenly looked serious, and Leia wondered if he might be sober after all as he said quietly but firmly, "Of course you can, but she wanted to say yes."

"I- I wanted no such thing-" Leia sputtered, but she went silent as Luke met her eye and she felt that he might actually have read her mind- that he might even be reading her mind at this very moment-

Han hesitated before taking a step forward and holding out his hand again. "Sure you don't want to dance?" he inquired, and she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the hopeful expression on his face, or if it was simply her, finally losing her mind, but she stood and pushed away from the table. After another beat she took his outstretched hand and smiled, trying not to focus on how right his hand felt surrounding hers.

"Okay then, hot shot, let's see what you've got, " she drawled, and she heard the flirty note in her voice and decided not to bother to hide it as he swept her away.

* * *

Over two hours later, Leia laughed in delight as Han picked her up and spun her around, a new song beginning to play.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked, sounding eager. "This is a Corellian dance!"

She didn't hesitate. "Show me!"

He pulled her even closer to him, placing one hand firmly on her waist, taking the other in his own. "Don't worry, it's so simple even a princess could do it," he murmured teasingly, and instead of taking offense she found herself laughing as she let him lead her, quickly discovering that the main feature of a Corellian dance for the woman was accepting you were going to get picked up and twirled in a circle, seemingly at random. By the end she felt dizzy, lightheaded, delightful. He set her down for the last time and she leaned into him, smiling.

"Did you like it?" he asked, sounding uncertain, and she briefly considered a variety of snappy retorts she could give before settling on the truth.

"It was wonderful." She hesitated as she looked up at him. "I'd like to teach you some from Alderaan some time. They're very different but fun too, I think." She thought for a moment, then decided to ask what she actually wanted to know. "Do you ever miss it?"

Han looked at her blankly, clearly not having followed the train of her thought. "Miss what?"

"Corellia."

It was his turn to hesitate, and somehow she knew he was lying when he finally scoffed, "That rainy swampland? Nah."

She smiled, skeptical. "I don't think that I've ever heard Corellia called a swampland before- I heard that it has some very nice-"

"Yeah, well, have you ever been there?" he cut her off. "Sure there's-"

"No," she interrupted softly, her smile fading. "I haven't been there. But I'd like to see it. Maybe you'll take me sometime." She looked down, shaking her head at her own idiocy before adding, belatedly, "When this is over."

He looked hesitant, and she had the uncomfortable feeling that for the first time since she'd met him, Han Solo truly had no idea what to say. As the silence stretched on she began to feel stupid, and as though it would have been better to say nothing at all, but just at that moment Han gave her a smile, different than the smiles he usually gave her- bigger, and so heartbreakingly sincere that she almost had to look away as her stomach fluttered.

"Sure. I mean, I'd like to take you. When this is over."

Leia smiled back as his hand found hers and squeezed, just once.

* * *

 **Thank you so much everyone for continuing to read- you guys are the best! I truly appreciate and treasure every review, they mean so much to me!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi everyone! Sorry for taking a bit longer to get this chapter up. I struggled with it compared to the others and ended up rewriting large chunks and trying a bunch of different things before coming to the final version. I hope you'll continue to enjoy :) I am extremely grateful for all the support and reviews I've received!_

* * *

 **The Fifth Time**

Leia looked around the dank Cantina absently before clinking her glass of wine cheerfully against Han's whisky, then Chewie's, feeling genuinely happy at how smoothly the mission had gone. When she'd heard they needed to go to Ord Mantell she'd been concerned, but despite the general sleaziness of the place and many of its inhabitants, everything had worked out perfectly, even allowing them some free time before heading back to Hoth. After nearly a dozen missions with Han, Leia finally felt they were really starting to work as a team, and this time he'd been great company, too, keeping her laughing and on her toes. Of course, he was still occasionally insufferable, teasing her mercilessly, but his comments had slowly lost their bite and she knew hers had too.

"Hey," Han said suddenly, looking pleased. "I'm pretty sure this is Corellian whisky. I haven't had any since I ran out a few months back."

Leia felt shock that he'd run out and not instantly replenished his stash, but her urge to tease him about it was overpowered by a far stronger urge to learn more about his past. At this point they'd spent more time together than they had with anyone else on base, even Luke, but all she'd managed to gather about his life before was that his entire family was dead (though how and why that had occurred remained a mystery), that he'd once been in the Imperial Navy, she assumed as a pilot, and that he had a wide variety of dramatic and doubtless highly exaggerated stories about his daring work as a smuggler.

"Did your obsession with Corellian alcohol begin while you still lived there, or is it something you developed later- perhaps with the Imperial Navy?" she questioned, not caring in the slightest that the question lacked subtlety.

He shot her a sharp look, but to her surprise he actually answered. "I always liked it." He grimaced. "Well, not always. Believe it or not when I first had whisky I thought it was disgusting."

She found herself smiling at the thought of a young Han, and told herself to stop before wondering why she should and allowing herself to indulge in the vision.

"How old were you when you first tried it?"

"Maybe 12, 13?" he said, more of a question than a statement. "We took it from-" he stopped abruptly and Leia knew that was all she'd be hearing from him on the topic, and that now she could proudly add 'stole alcohol when he was 12 or 13 and hated the taste, a feeling which did not persist' to her very short list of things she knew about Han's past.

"Took it from who?" she asked, even though she knew he wouldn't answer.

"Not important," he said after a moment with what might have been a grin. "Anyway, I didn't care for it much, then. My tastes have improved over time."

"What a frightening thought," she said, but the comment was lighthearted and he took it that way, smiling back at her. "Did anyone ever tell you you don't talk much about yourself?" she questioned as he took another swig of whiskey, and he seemed surprised by the question, his brow furrowing.

"No. No one other than you and Luke has ever really asked about anything before."

"Lucky them. Spared the disappointment of your non-answers," she teased, smiling archly before the more complete implication of what he'd said hit her and her smile faded. "You could answer our questions sometimes, you know," she said softly, her mood suddenly much more serious than it had been. "The galaxy wouldn't end."

"I know that," he said with the bluster she knew so well and had finally, after all this time, started to see through. "It's just the answers aren't very interesting. Anyway, I'm sure a princess like you doesn't really want to know-"

"About you?" she questioned, looking him in the eye and deciding to be completely honest for once. "I want to know everything."

The instant she said it she wished she hadn't, dreading whatever he was going to make out of it or say in response, but he just looked shocked before shaking his head almost as if to clear it and offering her a smile.

"Would you believe there's not much to know?"

"No,"Leia said flatly, arching an eyebrow.

Chewie roared, and she'd picked up enough Shyriiwook to understand that he was agreeing with her. To her surprise Han looked somewhat embarrassed, and there was a silence that was almost uncomfortable before he suddenly leaned across the table toward her.

"Hey," he said, voice low. "You want to get out of here?"

She hesitated, unsure whether she'd just been propositioned, and to her own shock not sure how she'd react if she had. "What did you have in mind?"

Leia instantly realized that her tone must have been harsher than she'd intended because his face closed off. "Never mind," he muttered. "It was a stupid idea-"

She frowned, then repeated the question, trying to sound more curious and less skeptical. He looked reluctant but finally offered "I thought you might want to go for a walk on the beach out there-"

She snorted. "That's a pretty generous description. Some people might call it a strip of land by a lake-"

He looked down. "I suppose compared to Alderaan it's nothing special. Anyway, I said it was a stupid idea-"

"Han," she cut him off warmly, regretting her teasing. "I'd love it. Let's go."

His eyes shot to hers, clearly unprepared for that answer, but then he gave her a cocky grin as though this was what he'd expected all along. He invited Chewie but to Leia's surprise the Wookie declined before saying something she didn't catch that made Han flush, and Leia suddenly found that, without really knowing why, she was blushing too.

Han looked at her uncertainly as they stood, and his arm brushed against hers as they began to walk toward the door. She saw him look at her hand and reach for it before pulling back, and she suddenly realized that, despite all appearances to the contrary, Han might actually be shy, uncertain. Without overanalyzing it she grabbed his hand with her own, smiling as he met her eye in surprise and then shot her a beaming grin of his own.

* * *

Leia kicked off her shoes immediately as they reached the small, deserted strip of sand, quickly following them with her coat. Another moment's hesitation had her shimmying out of her stockings, and she fleetingly thought about abandoning her dress in favor of the slip underneath it before looking at Han and realizing that it probably wasn't the best idea, as he was already looking at her as if she'd stripped naked. She quickly looked down to make sure that everything was still covered, and on finding that it was she met his slightly scandalized look with a grin.

"Aren't you coming in?" she questioned, jerking her chin meaningfully toward the water, and he blinked a few times before bending down and beginning to roll up his own pants.

"Right, yes, in," he sputtered almost awkwardly, and Leia wondered how it was possible to go from finding someone unbearable to finding them endearing. She didn't let herself think about it too much, though, as she crossed the short distance to the water.

She felt rather than heard Han come up beside her and turned her head to smile at him, noticing that he'd abandoned his own jacket and vest.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him after neither of them had spoken for several minutes, fully expecting him to turn the question back on her and surprised when he didn't, just stared down at her, an expression on his face that she was sure she'd never seen there before.

"I'm thinking that I've decided to stick around," he said after a long moment, his face more open and vulnerable than she'd ever seen it. As his words started to sink in, she felt confusion, followed by an emotion she hadn't felt strongly since the destruction of Alderaan- hope.

"You mean- you don't mean you've decided to stay with the Alliance?" she questioned carefully, trying and failing to sound calm, detached.

"Yeah," he said shortly, and for once Leia wished he'd say more, not less as she tried and failed miserably to contain a smile.

"Han, you don't mean it," she said, still not quite able to get her mind around his words.

He looked down, suddenly seeming closed off again. "Well, it's not likely I'd say something that idiotic unless I meant it-

She didn't hear anything else he said over her own squeal. For a moment the sound actually caused her to look around- it had been so long since she'd felt such absolute joy that she had forgotten she could sound like that. For his part Han looked slightly alarmed, but she found she didn't care as she allowed herself to make the sound again before throwing herself toward him.

She expected him to catch her in his arms easily, an assumption she felt was fair based on their past experiences. After all, this was the same man who, less than a month ago, had caught her with his left arm as she attempted to make a flying leap in front of him to evade blaster fire, and then held her in the air as though she weighed nothing as he used his right arm to fire two shots into the head of her pursuer.

Instead she felt Han stumble backwards, and then she was aware of the oddly blissful feeling of falling before hitting the water with a splash.

She was gratified to find that Han hadn't simply let her fall but instead had fallen with her, but the feeling quickly vanished as she realized that she was on top of him in the shallow water, essentially straddling him. She shivered and gasped from the cold or something else before throwing back her head and laughing, surprised when he started to laugh too, the sound low and warm. "You- you did that on purpose!" she accused halfheartedly.

He looked at her incredulously. "Shoved myself backwards into the water? Not likely." He cocked his head. "Maybe you did it on purpose though- I've always know you secretly wanted to be on top of me-"

Under ordinary circumstances Leia would have jumped up and said something cutting about his delusions, but she found that she really had no desire to move, and so instead she cocked her own head, fully aware that for once she sounded more sultry than argumentative as she retorted. "Please, Captain. If I wanted to get on top of you, there were easier ways than this."

She expected him to continue the banter but instead he just looked thoughtful for a moment before abruptly changing the topic.

"Are you- I mean, can I assume from your reaction that you're happy about this?"

For one idiotic moment Leia thought he meant being on top of him in the water but then she realized he was talking about his decision to stay, and she had to fight the urge to squeal again, barely recognizing herself when she was this completely ecstatic.

"Happy?" She was sure her face was going to break from smiling too much but she really couldn't help it as she shook her head disbelievingly. "Happy? Han you can't think how much this means to me- to the whole Alliance. I can't even tell you how desperately we've hoped-"

"Right," he cut her off, looking suddenly pensive. "The Alliance."

And just like that he was lifting her off him like she weighed nothing again and turning to head out of the water. For once Leia had no idea what she'd done, and so she followed him, feeling slightly overwhelmed by his mood swings throughout the night.

"Han!" she called before grabbing his arm, pleased when he at least stopped and turned to face her. "What's wrong? Is it what I said about your falling on purpose? Because I-"

"I know," he cut her off, his expression softening slightly. "Believe it or not I can tell when you're teasing-"

She snorted, trying to assume an expression of mock outrage but not managing it. "Teasing? Me? Why would I ever do such a thing?"

He narrowed his eyes, seeming to take the question far more seriously than she'd intended. "Probably for the same reason I do it."

"You mean you haven't just been doing it to be insufferable?" she asked, but her voice was full of laughter and something else that she didn't want to spoil the moment by thinking about too much.

"Me?" he questioned, sounding disbelieving as he gestured to himself with an air of innocence. "Insufferable? And you've been what, a paragon of tranquility?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down, just once, still barely recognizing herself, wondering where this giddy feeling was coming from and whether she wanted it to stop. "You finally understand!"

He laughed before his expression became serious, his eyes meeting hers. "I think I might be starting to."

She felt suddenly breathless as he continued to look down at her in the moonlight, so close that she could feel the warmth of his body, and for several long moments she was both sure that he was going to kiss her and finally able to admit to herself that she not only wouldn't mind, but in fact desperately wanted him to. He didn't move any closer to her, though, just continued to look at her with a sort of desperate intensity.

"Hey-Leia," he said finally, hesitantly, looking earnest. "I've been thinking that, once we're back at base, maybe we could-" he stopped, and she was grateful that the moonlight was doing its part to hide the worst of her blush as she waited for him to continue, feeling reasonably confident in what he was going to say, and, unbelievably, glad he was finally going to say it. She briefly marvelled at how it was possible that the kind of declaration from him that just a year ago would have been met with scorn and derision and even four months ago would have been met with resistance and her trying to figure out the best way to let him down easily could be inspiring such warmth and hope in her now.

"I'm no good at this," he muttered, jarring her out of her thoughts before he turned abruptly away. Her heart sank as she thought he was going to start to walk back the way they'd come up the beach, but he just stood there. Taking a deep breath of her own, Leia decided that it was probably, finally, time to offer some real encouragement.

"I think you're good at it," she offered softly, reaching out a hand and placing it on his arm, and as he turned to look at her she saw hope and disbelief on his own face that probably mirrored hers. He seemed to draw some strength from what she'd said and he squared his shoulders.

"I've wanted to tell you-" he began before stopping again, and despite the moonlight she could suddenly see that he was blushing too. In response, she felt herself grow warmer, and she wondered how it was possible that after spending so much time with someone they could still make you feel like everything was new.

He took a deep breath, seeming to brace himself, looking as serious as she'd ever seen him, and she leaned toward him, angling her head upwards in a very forward manner and placing one hand hesitantly on his chest before he started again, placing his own large hand softly on her waist. "Leia, you must know -"

Having felt for hours that the day was too good to be true, a feeling that was intensifying by the moment, Leia wasn't even surprised when Han's words were cut off by blaster fire.

* * *

Leia recognized her surroundings immediately when she came to on the Falcon, with a nasty headache and a truly throbbing pain in her left thigh. She tried to remember what had happened and was instantly confronted with happy and almost unbelievable memories of her and Han on the beach, quickly followed by much less pleasant recollections of being chased down the same beach by a bounty hunter and his crew- shoe-less, soaked, and unarmed-

"Hey," Han said from somewhere to her left, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You okay?"

"My leg-" she said, feeling dazed as she turned her face toward him, sitting up, and Han grimaced, an emotion flying across his face so quickly that she couldn't identify it.

"You were shot. Should be okay, though- the bacta's already worked wonders-"

"I was shot?" she asked disbelievingly. "How? They weren't even shooting at me, they were aiming at-"

He grimaced again, not making such an effort to hide it this time, or maybe unable to, and she cut herself off before finishing the thought aloud even though she knew they were both very well aware of how the sentence ended.

"You got in the way," he said finally, dully, and she smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"I assume by got in the way you mean saved your life again-"

"Maybe that too," he conceded seriously, and she frowned, unsure what was bothering him so much that he wasn't even willing to banter.

"Is Chewie okay?" she asked, wondering if the Wookie had anything to do with it, but Han just looked surprised at the question.

"Yeah, he's okay."

Leia searched for something to say, not sure how to deal with the long silence between them. "How did we get out of there?"

Han grimaced for a third time before trying for a smile and failing miserably. "Would you believe I single-handedly-"

"No," she said, not letting him finish, but she smiled while she said it, a smile he hesitantly began to return before his face grew serious again.

"Chewie might have helped a little."

"And- he's okay?" Leia asked again, certain she must be missing something since in all the time she'd known him, she'd never seen Han look so genuinely defeated.

"Yeah," Han repeated, nodding. "He's okay."

"And- you?" she asked, unsure he'd tell the truth even if he wasn't. ""Are you okay?"

He gave her the same halfhearted smile he'd attempted before. "Yeah. I'm okay."

She knew him well enough not to believe him, but he seemed uninjured and so she was left with the same confusion she'd started with. "Is something else wrong, then?" she questioned, feeling genuine concern.

"Leia," he began heavily, "There's something I need to tell you."

She brightened despite his tone and general dark mood. "I remember- on the beach- and Han, I wanted to tell you-"

"Leia," he cut her off harshly before she could say any more, looking almost scared that she might. "I changed my mind. I'm leaving the Alliance."

For a few moments she didn't understand the words, and then she suddenly, sharply did, feeling them like another physical wound.

"You must be joking," she said dully, even as she knew, absolutely, that he wasn't. He didn't respond, evidently not feeling that the statement even needed to be answered, and as he looked away from her she felt something very close to sorrow, which she tried and failed to replace with anger.

She suspected he expected her to say something else, probably to protest and try to convince him to stay, but she found that she just didn't have it in her to argue with him any more.

"Okay," she said with perfect calm after a long pause, even managing a small nod, and she was intensely grateful for her training as a diplomat as she managed to get the word out. She was surprised when his eyes did flash to meet hers then, despite the fact that he'd been studiously avoiding her gaze just a moment before.

"Okay?" he repeated, sounding uncertain and a bit disbelieving, and she managed to nod again and even to give him a half smile.

"Okay," she repeated.

"Well then-okay," he said, an expression on his face that she didn't understand before he gave her a curt nod and abruptly left the room.

Leia felt like she should cry, or scream, or at the very least throw something, but she found she didn't have that in her either as she instead turned painfully onto her side and tried unsuccessfully to sleep.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading :) As always feedback is treasured! I will try to have the final chapter up early next week... it's been fun writing a chapter where Leia finally will say yes ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, and following this story :) I'm sorry the final chapter has taken me longer than I thought to get up. When I originally was writing it, I pretty much only thought it would be the final third of what I actually ended up with, but then it exploded, and then I wasn't happy with it and spent way too much time editing._

 _I truly appreciate the time everyone has spent reading this and all the support I've received. I hope you'll enjoy this last installment!_

* * *

 _ **8 months after the Battle of Endor**_

"I hoped I might find you here," Leia smirked upon entering the _Falcon's_ cockpit, feeling oddly triumphant at having located him in the first place she looked even if the options were fairly limited and extremely obvious.

"Leia," he grinned, clearly pleased at her arrival. "I wasn't expecting to see you until tonight." His brow furrowed. "Now that I think of it, wasn't there some big meeting?"

She rolled her eyes, pretending more than actually feeling any irritation. "As always I'm impressed by your powerful recall of my schedule, flyboy. Can I assume you haven't turned on the Holonews today?"

He gave a short and unamused laugh, some of the warmth going out of his gaze. "Is that a serious question? If I have to hear one more reporter talking about our 'doomed romance'-"

She rolled her eyes again, but this time the gesture was one of sympathy, not directed at him but at the broadcasts. "I said the Holonews, not the Holorags-" she began to clarify before thinking better of it and grimacing. "Not that there's much difference some days." She shook her head. "Anyway, I don't feel particularly doomed, do you?"

He reached out a hand to her in answer and she came to perch easily on his lap before leaning forward and kissing him gently, still not fully used to being able to do so whenever she wanted, without needing to worry that they might be interrupted by a life or death situation. Han wasted no time in deepening the kiss, and she allowed herself to get lost in it as he gently began to untangle her braids, moving his lips to her throat. Her own hands started to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt before, with what felt like a heroic effort, she forced herself to pull back slightly.

He hesitated before pulling back too, continuing to stroke her hair as he did so. "So- what happened with the meeting? Is it cancelled or-"

She shrugged, feeling totally unconcerned, and almost laughed as Han's jaw dropped at the simple gesture. "Not that I know of. They should have started 15 minutes ago, if they and the reporters have been able to get over the fact that I blew them off."

He pulled back from her in earnest then, and she felt the urge to laugh again at the look of real concern that came over him at her words. " _You_? Blew them off?" he questioned, tilting his head so he could look into her eyes. "Don't go and take this the wrong way, but are you feeling alright? Wasn't this the meeting about-" she watched as he struggled and failed to think of which in a long series of important topics were being discussed.

"Yes!" she said smugly after long moment. "Exactly!"

He shook his head as he stood up with obvious reluctance and gently deposited her a few feet from him. "Now I know you're not feeling well."

"I've never been better," she protested as he looked at her skeptically.

"And you don't want to make some comment about what the meeting is actually about? Maybe throw in something about my memory failing at my advanced age?"

"No," she said cheerfully. "I think you quite effectively illustrated just how memorable the meeting topic is. Anyway Luke and Mon both know my thoughts and can speak on my behalf in the unlikely event that a decision is going to be made that I'd disagree with- but for that to happen, the new government would need to come to a decision about something, and I think if we're being honest, we both know that's unlikely if not impossible."

He peered at her in astonishment. "It's not that I'm unhappy about this… unusual turn of events, but are you really sure you haven't hit your head? I can't really imagine that you'd rather spend the afternoon here than hammering out some new proposal-"

Leia did laugh then, feeling delighted at the thought that for once, she was going to be the one to surprise Han, and not the other way around. "Don't be ridiculous. I'd always rather spend the afternoon here than hammering out some new proposal, it's just that I usually can't. Anyway," she continued as an afterthought, "I don't plan to spend the afternoon here."

"Oh," he said, looking disappointed but not at all surprised at the words, and on seeing his disappointment, Leia felt sharply that she'd made the right decision. "Well, did you need help with something, then?" he asked, switching gears, and she felt herself melting at the sincerity in his voice. "I know it must be important if you're skipping the meeting, and I don't really have anything planned for the afternoon, so-"

"As a matter of fact, I do require a pilot," she interrupted, grinning. "Preferably a scoundrel. Am I in the right place?"

Han just gaped at her for a long moment, but then he seemed to see something in her eyes and he grinned back at her, his expression suddenly much lighter. "I might know a guy," he said slowly. "Depends who's asking- and where they're going."

Leia tilted her head, biting her lip in a way she knew he found irresistible before sinking down into the co-pilot seat.

He arched an eyebrow. "Pretty sure of yourself, there."

"Enough with the small talk, Solo," she said, reaching over to fire up the engines, and for a moment she was worried that he'd be annoyed at her taking over the controls, but he only seemed amused and just a little impressed as he smirked at her. "I've come to collect."

"Collect on what?" he asked as she continued to fiddle with the controls.

"I have it on good authority that a certain scoundrel has a few weeks of leave that started yesterday," she said, managing to close the ramp before turning to smile up at him. "The same scoundrel that keeps telling me to take a vacation, in fact. And it just so happens that this scoundrel owes me a trip to Corellia."

Several emotions passed across Han's face too quickly for her to identify them, and despite the fact that she'd gotten extremely good at reading him, she wasn't sure what he was thinking as his smile wavered.

"I'll need to tell Chewie-"

"I already let Chewie know, and if anything he's relieved to be getting rid of us," she interrupted.

"Seems like you had a busy morning," he said neutrally, still hovering by the cockpit door.

"Let's just say there was no time to discuss it by committee," she drawled, turning her attention back to the controls and relieved when she heard him take a step forward and laugh.

"You planning to fly us out of here, sweetheart?"

"I'm ready to do whatever is necessary," she declared.

"I'd never doubt it," he said, and there was a brief pause as she wondered why he was still making no move toward the pilot's seat. "Do you even have other clothes?" he asked, obviously stalling now, and she smiled, prepared for this question, though she hadn't anticipated that it might be asked so soon.

"No. I didn't realize I'd need them," she retorted, making sure her voice conveyed her full meaning before cocking her head toward him and biting her lip again, arching an eyebrow. "Is that going to be a problem, Captain?"

He muttered something she didn't quite catch about her being the death of him before sliding into the pilot's seat.

* * *

True to her word Leia spent the next three standard days in various states of undress, unconcerned with anything, feeling lighter than she ever had, despite the fact that she was almost instantly aware that Han seemed determined to drag the journey to Corellia out for as long as possible. For the whole first standard day he regarded her with what she could only view as amused suspicion, which confused her until she realized that he was probably waiting for her to have some kind of crisis of conscience and insist that she really needed to head back to the government meetings after all. Very well aware that her behavior over the past years would have given anyone that idea she found herself unable to be offended or annoyed and instead made a conscious effort to be even more relaxed. She suspected that he'd speed up the ship once he realized that she wasn't going to demand that they return, but, while he did indeed relax considerably as the first standard day passed into the second and then the third, the maddeningly slow speed of the ship remained the same, and at one point she almost thought they were starting to head away from Corellia, though the ship's course was righted quickly enough that she was left to wonder if she'd imagined it.

By the beginning of the fourth day, though, she was reasonably certain that Han was deliberately going slowly, and reluctantly admitted to herself that the most logical explanation was that, for some unknown reason, he didn't want to take her to Corellia.

And so, she was laying in bed, spent, her body wrapped comfortably around Han's, when she decided she should probably just say something, if only so that she might be able to get Han to dock somewhere, anywhere where they could enjoy or at least stock up on food that wasn't stale ration bars. She contemplated any number of diplomatic, roundabout approaches to the topic, but none of them really rang true in her mind and so she decided to just be straightforward, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at him.

"I can't help but notice we're not much closer to Corellia than when we left."

He blinked in surprise, something that almost might have been guilt flashing quickly across his face before being replaced by a teasing smirk. "Not enjoying being up here with me?"

"Enjoying being up here with you might be an understatement, but the ration bars? Not as much," she deadpanned before saying gently. "If you wanted, we could go somewhere else. I've wanted to see Corellia, but if that's not something that you want right now that's not a problem for me."

There was a long silence as Han looked away from her, and for a terrible moment she was sure he was going to get up from the bed and cleanly evade the issue, but to her surprise he instead pulled her closer to him, beginning to trace lazy circles on her bare back.

"It isn't that," he said finally, just when she had given up hope that he was going to say anything and had decided she didn't really care if he did. "I just-" he hesitated, shifting uncomfortably as his hands stopped circling her back. "I'm worried you might be disappointed."

"Why would I be disappointed?" she asked blankly , not bothering to hide the confusion in her voice.

He hesitated again. "I don't really have that much to show you. I know you know my family is-" he stopped, seeming to search for the right word before one of his hands tightened almost convulsively on her hip. "I know you know I don't have any family left, but I don't remember ever having any family, or any real home. My first memories are of being taken in by a pirate and taught how to beg on the streets for his profit."

He seemed to be bracing for some kind of dramatic reaction from her, but while Leia was slightly taken aback by the information, it was more at the fact that he'd actually told her than at the words themselves. She thought about expressing sympathy but immediately decided Han would hate that, and so decided to just go ahead and ask what she actually wanted to know.

"What was it like?" she asked, fully expecting him to scoff and either be silent on instead fire off some flippant remark. Instead, though, he looked shocked by the question, confirming her idea that he'd expected some other kind of reaction, but Leia had spent so many agonizing hours over the past several years envisioning increasingly bleak scenarios regarding Han's past that this revelation seemed almost tame in comparison.

"It wasn't fun," he said after a long pause, for once a master of understatement, but then to her surprise he flashed a ghost of a smile and continued. "But it wasn't all so bad, either. This pirate, he had other kids who he taught the same thing, and I got to be friends with two of them in particular. Crev and Dash and I got into all kinds of trouble-"

"I don't suppose these were the two you stole the Corellian whisky with when you were twelve or thirteen?" she interrupted dryly, and to her surprise he laughed.

"The same. Before that though-" he began before launching into a long and involved story involving his first time behind the controls of a ship at the age of 7 or 8, a near catastrophe in which his friends appeared to have played a key part.

* * *

To Leia's complete shock once Han started talking about his past, he seemed disinclined to stop. While previously getting him to reveal anything at all about his past had been a complex, fraught, and usually unsuccessful process requiring asking just the right question in just the right tone at just the right moment and hoping against hope that he might actually answer, once he started sharing stories and seemed satisfied that she felt neither horror nor pity at the things he was saying he didn't seem to have any problem with continuing to talk, almost seeming relieved at times to do so, requiring little of Leia beyond the occasional interested nod or general question. While Luke had always said, with an almost unnerving degree of certainty, that Han would talk to them about his past once he was ready, she'd never really believed it, and if she had she would have thought the moment might finally come in the distant future after some deep struggle, not here and now with almost no effort being expanded.

Leia sensed at times that there were things he was continuing to hold back, particularly where his family was concerned, but other stories he told with gusto, giving her more details than she'd ever dreamed she might actually receive, even if they were to stay together for 50 more years. She fought unsuccessfully against her awed reactions when he described earning his Bloodstripes, knowing he'd hate her making a big deal over them, but to her surprise he seemed more amused and abashed by her reaction than anything else, even laughing when she said guilelessly, not stopping to think before she did so, "No wonder the people they give the red ones to are always dead first."

* * *

Leia was standing in the lounge a few days after bringing up the fact that they didn't seem destined to land on Corellia anytime soon, choking down yet another expired ration bar as she leaned against the Dejarik table when she felt Han come up behind her, slipping his arms easily around her waist.

"We should be able to dock in Corellia tomorrow," Han told her, and she arched an eyebrow, turning in his arms so that she could face him before lightly teasing,

"Oh? We're actually going to dock in Corellia?"

To her surprise he flushed, just slightly, before flashing her a grin. "You didn't really think I'd let you come all this way without seeing my favorite rainy swampland for a few days?"

She grinned back, remembering his long ago words. "I hope we might be able to stay longer, sometime. It's hard to believe a standard week has passed already-"

"But what a week it was," he grinned, his face almost painfully sincere as he looked her up and down, and she found herself blushing despite being sure that, having been with Han for this long, he should no longer be able to make her blush-

When she managed to meet his eye she found his own face had unexpectedly become serious and her brow furrowed in concern before he began, sounding more hesitant than she'd heard him in months,

"Hey- Leia. I've been thinking-"

She snorted. "Even after all this time, flyboy, no words ever scare me more than those coming from you."

To her relief his smile became less strained, more natural as he nodded seriously. "My brilliance can be scary, it's true."

She snorted but let him get away with it before allowing him to take her hand, his face serious again as he pulled her down onto the sofa with him.

"For the past few days I've been thinking," he began before shaking his head, grasping her hands so tightly it almost hurt as she wondered where he could possibly be going with this. "That isn't right. Since Endor I've been thinking, but it never felt like the right time."

Leia's first instinct was to continue to tease him about how exhausting it must have been for him to be thinking for all that time, or about how she hadn't known there was a right time to think, but some bizarre sense of self-preservation that she didn't wholly understand stopped her, and she forced herself to nod neutrally, wishing he wasn't holding her hands quite so tightly as he continued.

"Leia- you know I love you. And I think- it would be nice if we made this thing between us official. We could do it on Corellia now, if you wanted, or if you wanted to wait and do something bigger in a few months or a year, that would be fine too- whatever you want. I know this probably isn't the most romantic time or place or way to be asking but I feel like if I wait any longer for the right time and place I might just be waiting forever and so- I just wanted you to know there's nothing I want more than this, and I'm asking if it's something you might want too."

Her mouth opened, then closed, and she was glad Han had already made sure she was sitting as she felt her whole body tremble. After everything she and Han had been through together, she had known she couldn't envision a future without him, and although he'd always remained relatively silent on the matter, she was sure he felt the same way. Despite that, though, she felt unable to believe what seemed to be happening. While after the carbonite she'd never doubted Han's absolute commitment to her, or that they were going to stay together, she had also never really believed that he was the kind of person who might want to be married- who might actually propose marriage. Her disbelief was compounded by the fact that, if he was indeed proposing, he'd chosen to do it on the Falcon, at a time when she was wearing nothing more than his own shirt- but then again, knowing Han, maybe that was the only thing that might really make sense about the situation-

The more she thought about it, the more certain she was that she might be misunderstanding, and so she hesitated, and decided she needed to clarify rather than make an assumption that might embarrass one or both of them. She meant to say something teasing, witty, romantic, but when she opened her mouth all that came out was a very confused sounding "I'm sorry, was that a proposal?"

Immediately after saying it she knew it was the wrong thing to say as his face, which had been hopeful, vulnerable, shuttered shut more quickly than she could blink.

"Yeah, well, don't get too excited, your highnessness" he muttered, standing up and turning away from her. "We'd make each other crazy and I probably wouldn't be home much." He hesitated, continued, "'Course, you probably wouldn't mind that. You'll have your fancy royal parties and be too busy to think about me anyway. Probably you wouldn't want to mention that you were married to me-it'd be embarrassing, and anyway we probably wouldn't have much to talk about-"

Leia jumped up, positioning herself in front of him before placing a hand on his arm. "Han, stop."

He slammed his mouth shut before opening it again. "Okay. It's fine. I understand. I just thought I'd ask, you know, For old time's sake. I can understand why a princess can't get married to someone like me. I'd be a lousy husband anyway, and we probably haven't known one another long enough to-"

"Shut up, nerfherder," Leia tried to snap, figuring that would probably be the fastest way to get him to stop his bizarre tangent, but she knew it was unsuccessful when 'nerfherder' came out with the same inflection she'd heard other people use to say the word 'darling'.

His mouth nonetheless did briefly shut before he opened it again, evidently determined to keep talking, and she did the only thing she could think of to get him to stop, slamming her lips onto his.

"Han," she said when they finally pulled apart, breathless, " I honestly can't think of anything I want more than for you to make me crazy for the rest of my life."

He pulled back slightly, giving her a grin with obvious effort. "Like I said, I understand. It's fine. We can just continue like this- no big deal. It's fun. It's been fun-"

Leia couldn't help herself- despite the seriousness of the situation and the fact that she knew, logically, that she should probably be using this time to say something reassuring, she rolled her eyes before grasping for his hands, holding them every bit as tightly as he'd held hers before. "Han. This is me saying yes."

He shook his head and then suddenly his eyes widened, disbelieving. "This is you- saying yes," he repeated, sounding awed, and she smiled, nodded,

"Yes."

And just like that, he was the smug smuggler she'd first met, a grin so wide she thought it might split his face overtaking him as he picked her up and spun her around. She squealed, smiled, and melted as his lips met hers again- and again.

Finally he set her down, the same insufferable grin still on his face, but for once she found she didn't mind, not one bit. "You see?" he said triumphantly, whether to her or to the universe she would never be sure. "I always knew it would be yes one day!"

She hit his arm, rolled her eyes. "Don't get used to it, hot shot."

To her surprise his face grew serious before he shot her another smile, this one so painfully sincere that it took her breath away. "Leia. I wouldn't want to."

* * *

 _Thank you so much for reading! Again, I truly appreciate it 3 Now that the story is over I'd love if you'd take some time to leave a review letting me know what you thought even if it's bad- I'm always eager to improve my writing :)_

 _I'm currently toying with an idea for another Han/Leia fic so I might be posting something else soon. You guys are the best, thanks so much again._


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